Lands, Wonders & Invisible People in the Middle
by Faux Reves
Summary: Natsume saves Mikan from losing a limb and she responds with anger. But then, after the fight, Mikan finds out Natsume is really a prince of the Glorious Kingdom of Alice! And what's this about her being his servant for the next month? DROPPED
1. Prologue: Salt

Okay, so this is only the prologue of this story I have in mind. I may (probably will) edit it later on. All I want for now is to have you dear readers give me some honest criticism. Should I continue the story or just scrap it? Anyways, read and review!

Oh right, I was supposed to give a disclaimer; almost forgot...

Well, whatever, it's not that important anyways! :P

Again, Read and Review!

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The absolute necessity of salt is something overlooked by the majority of mankind. Most do not realize the wonder of such a marvellous mineral. A substance which, with so many uses, has become something human beings can no longer live without. Cooking, cleaning, healing. Salt is truly an amazing thing.

But it was not for any one of these uses that the red eyed boy found salt so fascinating. It was the salt found in water , sea salt, that first captured his heart. The smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it, was what he adored to the deepest extent. And to be surrounded by this salt for the majority of his lifetime was his dream. Not that he would ever admit to it. He thought, they thought, that he was indifferent about the salty seas upon which they sailed. Of course they knew him better than he…thought.

They knew how much the boy loved the salty air that would whip against his skin, leaving a slight tingling sensation. How much he enjoyed tasting small samples of the salty water, never so much as to cause sickness, but enough for him to feel closer to the blue that surrounded them, than ever before. They knew how much amusement the red eyed boy found in slipping his hands beneath the wet, salty surface of the sea during the rare times they went out in a row boat.

They knew how much he loved their home. His home.

So that is why they were prepared for the storm that would befall them in ten minutes time. They knew that the boy was not one to accept change easily. Although the boy would not throw a tantrum he would still put up a fight. A fight of silence , disobedience, and if push came to shove, flames. So that is why they took heed to eight years of experience and made sure that the Water Wonders were ready for combat, if it reached that point. They knew perfectly well what the red eyed boy was capable of.

The crew knew how dangerous Natsume was.

Natsume Ahsman was not one to take change kindly. He very much liked his life, sailing upon the blue desert. And although he liked visiting land bound friends as much as the next person, that's all it was. A visit. He did not, under any circumstances find living on land, regardless of all the friends, a nice change. It was a terrible change. A change which defined all change. A definition that said, change is terrible.

That was how Natsume's train of thought would have proceeded a little less than a year ago. And strangely enough, it still did. With a few slight…changes one would say. Why? Simple, His Majesty, the 4th prince of the Glorious Kingdom of Alice, Natsume Ahsman, knew a little something the crew was not aware of.

He knew, that although he would be setting his foot on land, he was not, under any….agreeable, circumstances entering the capital, TeaParty. Why? Simple, TeaParty was where the Palace of Mirrors was. And, in the Palace of Mirrors resided the ruler of the Glorious Kingdom of Alice, the Red King. And the ruler of the Glorious Kingdom of Alice, the Red King, was Natsume's father, who lived in the Palace of Mirrors which resided in the capital of the Glorious Kingdom of Alice, which was TeaParty. Therefore, Natsume would avoid that city as much as possible. Simple.

Unfortunately life is something you have no control over. And Natsume knew this, but, with the joy of being able to soon meet old friends and avoid old enemies, he pushed this thought to the back of him mind. So, it was exactly for that reason that Natsume was taken completely under surprise.

He really hadn't expected to see her on the wharf. He had thought her dead after all that had happened. The last thing he was anticipating was to have the welcome gift from the nobles of the small town they docked the ship in, to be a slave. To be Mikan.

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Well, that's it for now! Hope you liked it! Again, review please and tell me if I should continue or not!


	2. Apples

**And here it is folks! Chapter one! So sorry for the delay! Took me a while to type it all up like I wanted to. Unfortunately there was a lot more I wanted to do in this chapter but I realized that it was getting kind of long. So I'll incorporate that stuff into the next chapter (that still has not been written :P). Anyways I really hope you enjoy my story. I plan to write 50,000 words for it in the month of November for NaNoWriMo! (If you don't know what that is you should seriously check it out!)**

**And now for the beloved and adored disclaimer: (~Drum roll please!~)**

**Gakuen Alice=Not Mine! (Though I wish it were~!)**

**Now then, as a warning I have to say that I have OC's in this story (but most fanfics tend to be like that). The OC's aren't any of the main characters (yet...maybe...not sure...) but they are kind of crucial to the story. I have also tried my best to keep the GA characters in character as much as possible. But as a warning before hand I will tell all you readers that this is a fanfic and my story is darastically different to that of GA's. So there will most probably be times when the characters will do things that they most probably wouldn't even consider in the anime/manga. But-I'll try to not do that as often as possible (from what I believe, their doesn't seem to be any OOC in this chappie...hopefully! Tell me if I'm wrong.)**

**Alrighty then. As a last word, I'd really LOVE some reviews! The prologue didn't get that many (only one...and thank you to fieryhazel for that!) All sorts of critisism is accepted! Even flames- but only funny/witty ones!**

**So as _another _last word (or two):**

**Please enjoy! XD**

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The tree was gone. The trees were gone. The whole forest was gone. In it's place was…something that certainly wasn't a tree.

It was noon now and the sun was hanging stark in the middle of the sky. It blared all of its heat down onto the poor inhabitants of the town (which was no longer a forest) and she too was one of the victims. But; this fact did little to bother her. _In fact_, one could say that she did not notice it at all. She was too busy…marvelling.

Though there wasn't really anything spectacular enough for the average man to marvel, she was an exception. Since she technically, she wasn't average nor a man. So, everything marvelled her. The noise especially.

She hadn't noticed it at first, when she had just woken up. She was in the cave then, and it was quiet there. It wasn't until she had travelled down the once nonexistent path that she arrived in the town, in the noise.

There was no easy transition, it was all so sudden. As though jumping up from its hiding place under a rock, it attacked her with no mercy. But she faced it like she would with any foe; head on. So, instead of turning tail and running off, she walked, forward and forward, till she came to realize where the enemy lay. Till she came to realize that the noise was coming from everywhere, everything, and more importantly, everyone.

They were all so loud. They chattered, they cried, they laughed and a few even sang. And strangely enough, they all did this with such boisterousness. No one was quiet. It was as though the concept did not even exist anymore.

But she did not mind it at all. Truthfully, if asked, she would say she enjoyed all the sounds. She would say that if you were to take it in all as one, it would make little sense. The words would all jumble together making a symphony of gibberish. Instead, one should focus on capturing the single strings of conversation and make sense of all the information.

"He owes me that chicken of his, I won the bet…"

"I can't believe Mary-Anne would do that! She promised!"

" Did you see him? Did you see him?"

"I swear, when I find that little rascal I'll…"

"Oooh! I'm so glad I got to see the prince at least once in my lifetime!"

"These apples have got to be the best I've ever, what?"

She just couldn't help it. The man was seducing her. Ever so slowly taking bite after bite out that that lusciously red apple, she just had to ask. She had to know where to get one.

Laughing the plump, apple-eating man replied her question.

"Aye, du'nt surprise me that ye want this 'ere apple! O'course ye would! Why else would ye travel all 'e way down to a lil' harbour town like Godstow? For e'apples o'course!"

" Yes! Yes! The apples, I want the apples!" She jumped in delight at the thought of being able to eat one herself.

The man guffawed, "Se'l down lil' lass, no need to ge' so excited. 'E apples aren't goin' anywhere!"

"Oh, I know that! I wasn't born yesterday! But still, you haven't answered my question yet! Where do I get one?"

"Anywhere! Everyone has 'em. No'just the grocery stalls, you can ge' them from the tailors, the barbers, the blacksmiths and even 'em sour ol' spinsters!"

"Really!" She gaped, "That's absolutely incredible!"

Seeing the girls obvious fascination, the man just had to laugh even harder. It wasn't common to come across such a country bumpkin… in the country.

"Aye, it is fantastic! Though if I 'ave to say, ye ought t'get yer apples from Liddle. 'E runs a jewellers just 'round the corner, in the next street."

In answer to the girls look of inquiry the man continued.

"His son used't work in the orchards. After th'accident them officials an' whatnots felt obliged't pay compensation. So Liddle ge's first picks when it comes to 'em apples. The best ye can find in this side o'town!"

"The best, really?"

"Aye, aye. The best! Can't find any better, at least no'from the nearby competition!"

"Well, I can't wait enough to travel all the way to the other side of town, I'll just have to make do with Mr. Liddle's apples."

With that said the girl turned away from the plump, apple-eating man as to set off around the corner and into the next street. Unfortunately…

"…Umm…sir…you wouldn't mind to just, you know, point me in the right direction?"

The man broke out in hysterical laughter. It really wasn't everyday he met such a girl!

Pointing her towards her desired direction the man called out to her fleeing back.

"Oi! Lil' lass, a warnin' for ye! Dunt do anythin' tha'might displease Liddle! He's sourer then even 'em spinsters!"

The girl only waved her hand as indication to show that she heard.

He was quite smart. A genius, some would even say. Yet, nonetheless, he could not, no matter how hard he tried, fathom why human beings were so damn annoying.

It wasn't how they communicated, though yes, that did play a large part. Nor was the fact that they always smelt like a she-pig in heat, for every - damn - second - of - the - whole - damn - day. And it especially had nothing to do with the fact that he was being "urged", which is just another word for forced, to socialize with them…on a daily basis.

Really? Was that all really so necessary. He was quite sure that it was very much possible to live life without having to come into contact with other…people…Truthfully, he wasn't even entirely sure if "people" was the right word to use as a label for those _things_! Heck, calling them animals would be a compliment. But; he was getting carried away. Natsume knew that, for a fact, not _everyone_ was absolutely disgusting. There were a few beings out in the "big wide world" that he could consider friends...or at least, associates. He wasn't _that_ antisocial!

...Unfortunately that was his own opinion; many would be too eager to disagree...

But, Natsume would disagree right back at them. He'd tell them that he was not as...undesirable, as they make him out to be. That, as a matter of fact, he really is quite nice...once a day.

See, Natsume Ahsman had a little deal going on with Misaki, his temporary guardian. (Which was just a fancy way of saying baby sitter.) That if he did a kind act at least once a day, she would turn a blind eye whenever he got a "stomach ache" during history lessons.

So, that was the reason as to why Natsume was surrounded by heaps of "she-pig in heat" smelling people while trying to make his way through Godstow. (Named after Gods desire to stow all the "animals" in a tiny, minuscule town.)

And it was then and there that he first lay his eyes on the love annoyance of his life…seriously.

Natsume was just idly minding his own business while scheming on how to destroy the lives of all those nuisances surrounding him (A past time he quite enjoyed.) when he came upon a disturbance blocking his path. This disturbance happened to be a fight between a very tall, gaunt man and a very little girl of small stature. Not something one sees everyday.

The man was grabbing the she-child by the right arm and shaking her quite violently. She on the other hand was laughing…another thing one doesn't see quite often.

…She was most probably mentally retarded; in the literal sense.

But Natsume wasn't one judge.

Anyways, carrying on, Natsume still had not acted out his good deed of the day, and the time for his lesson was fast approaching; so as luck has it be, a wonderful opportunity had arose! Why not stop the fight? That would certainly be counted as a good deed!

She only ate an apple. Just one tiny, measly, delicious, flavoursome, savoury, heavenly apple… It was hardly enough reason for the jewel merchant, Liddle, to go crazy on her!

True, perhaps she had eaten the apple without paying. But; how was she to know that it was for sale and not free! It wasn't like it was written anywhere…at least not in a language that she could understand. Also, it really wasn't her fault that the entire apple cart had fallen to the ground, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was bound to happen! It was practically destiny!

All in all, there was no reason for Liddle to be swinging that gigantic knife of his over her right hand. She wasn't a real thief! She didn't know she was stealing! So, how could she possibly be punished for a thing like that? Just the thought of something so ridiculous made her laugh.

Too bad Liddle didn't feel the same way as her. It seemed as though he really wanted to chop her up…that would be _bad_. But luckily her prince in shining armour had just arrived! …Kind of…He wasn't exactly wielding his enchanted sword; ready to relinquish his life without a second to spare just for the thought of wanting to save her. In actuality all her mysterious, red-eyed knight had done was drop a burlap bag onto the stall top.

He wasn't a coward; he just didn't enjoy fighting when the outcome was obvious. And anyways, why take up arms when there was a perfectly (easier) non-violent solution.

"Is that…money?"

Interesting, Natsume thought, the mental case understood human language.

"How much?" It was Liddle who asked the question this time, immediately understanding the situation.

"Enough to pay for your spoilt produce."

"This idjit" Liddle shook the girl; indicating whom he was referring to, " caused me lot more trouble then just spoilt _produce_!"

"You have nothing to fear; there is compensation for that as well." Natsume nodded towards the bag.

Squinting his eyes suspiciously Liddle reached over to see just how much _compensation_ there was. And certainly enough, it must have been quite the amount, for Liddle's eyes widened at the sight. Throwing the girl away, like a tissue used and worthless, he greedily began counting the coins.

Natsume could only assume that Liddle accepted the offer. So, with a smirk to be found on face, Natsume turned to leave and report of his good deed to Misaki. There would be no history lessons today.

"That's wrong."

Too bad the retard was still alive.

"Excuse me?"

Liddle was still preoccupied with his newfound wealth and the crowd had not yet left, wanting to see more of the show. And the girl, the one he _saved _Natsume might add, was still lying on the ground looking up at him. Angrily.

"You bribed the poor man! That's hardly a nice thing to do!"

"…Poor man? He was about to disable you forever!"

"No he wasn't! He was just threatening to hurt me! I highly doubt I would have gotten any real damage!"

"Waving a big, sharp knife, over a person's arm isn't just threatening! It's dangerous!"

"Fine. Maybe it was! But it's not like it was any of your business!"

"Not my business, how- no! I'm not going to even bother asking."

"That's wonderful! Now take your money back and go away, you're annoying!"

"Don't call me annoying wench! I am Natsume Ahsman!"

"Yeah! Well I'm Mikan!"

"I don't care who you are!"

"And the feeling seems to be mutual!"

"You have no right to speak to me in that manner of tone little girl!"

That seemed to have done the trick. Natsume, breathing heavily from all the shouting, realized that the girl, Mikan was her name, had gone silent.

"…What did you just call me?"

Too bad good things never last, Natsume thought.

"I called you many things, your pick."

"Did you call me…little?"

"Maybe I did; it's not exactly a secret. You are quite little, what are you 10? 12?"

"Don't call me that."

"What little?"

Mikan narrowed her eyes in response.

" Oh, I'm sorry I called you that little girl. I really should realize that someone as little as you has feelings. I mean, you're such a little girl that's still growing up in her little way that I wouldn't want to do any little damage to your little brain!"

"…you _fucking_ bastard…"

"What's the matter little girl? Getting a little angry?"

Looking back on that moment Natsume would think that perhaps he there was no need to get so carried away. But nonetheless, everything has it's uses. And his fight with Mikan would teach him a very crucial lesson:

Sometimes violence really is the only solution.

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**Sooo? How was that? Did you like it? Did you? Click the little button below to tell me! PWETTY PWEASE! :D**

~ Faux Reves


	3. Scotch

**This chapter is slightly shorter. I actually finished it a long time ago but my laptop's hinges broke and I finally got the courage to open it up again and fish this file out of it. Then I had tons of trouble converting it because it was an older MSW file. -.- Aaah, well. What's done is done. Anyways, I was going to make this longer but I'm impatient. So I figured, what the heck, I might as well make this a short chapter. Who cares? I'll update faster that way. :P Nonetheless, **

**Read. Review. And Enjoy!**

**PS. Sticky Toffee Pudding is DELICIOUS! :O**

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She could not believe he had the nerve to call her something as disgusting, degrading and all round despicable as little. He knew nothing. Absolutely nothing. And yet he had insisted in calling her little. How dare he?

He had not meant to make things physical. Never, in his fourteen winters did he expect to get into a fist fight with a girl, of all things. Unfortunately the earlier statement was undermined. That was no girl. That was a cruel, merciless, and vengeful monster. Thus explaining his black eye. How dare she?

If anything he should have called her stupid. For that was what she was; the stupid essence of stupidity with her stupid personality and stupid ways of not being able to hold a stupid grudge. So, for this stupid reason she walked aimlessly through the harbour town in search for the red eyed boy that humiliated her some hours ago.

He did not, by any means, enjoy getting hurt by a girl. Especially by one he had just saved from impending doom. So he would not, under any circumstances, let this matter go. She would pay. He would find her, and he would gain his compensation.

Ahh, just thinking about the many ways he would get his revenge made him, Natsume, smile. He who was a Cloud In The Sky, would not let injustice pass. And the girl, Mikan was her name, was the very definition of injustice. So naturally, she had to be eradicated, as is what happens to all injustice.

Mikan would not, could not, stop the gnawing guilt from growing inside her heart. Thinking back on earlier events she had to admit that the boy, Natsume, really did have only good intentions. Of course it would look like she was in danger to an observer. That much was to be expected. And yet she had let her temper take toll, and lashed out like a frightened animal. She was in the wrong and he was the right, and it pained her to admit so. Her pride was slowly dissolving till it existed no more.

And yet, feelings of guilt overshadowed that small hurt. Mikan was a forgiving creature, she could not stand anger. She needed to apologize but to do so, she needed to first find Natsume. Which was, unfortunately, proving to be a very hard thing to do.

Natsume was getting tired. The sun was low in the sky and he had not yet found Mikan. He did not want to leave his confrontation for another day, by then he would have forgotten most of the harsh speech he composed for the girl. That would be no good. It took him a full half hour to memorize it all.

Mikan was yawning. Loud, long yawns that she could not stifle no matter how hard she may have tried. It was a signal from the heavens telling her it was time to sleep. And that's what Mikan would have done. She would have given up on her search and strolled back to her cave. She would have settled down onto her comfortable mattress of furs and closed her eyes. Thus, she would have slept herself into an oblivion. Only problem was, Mikan did not really know exactly where she was at the moment. Hence she did not know in which direction the cave was. Therefore she was, in simple words, lost.

Night was nearing and he had yet to find the wench. And since he had no intention of feeling Misaki's wrath that day, for returning to the inn after nightfall, Natsume Ahsman gave up on his search for Mikan. He would try again tomorrow...most probably with a new speech in hand.

Mikan had stumbled upon quite the homely inn. It was in the shape of a large cottage, and warm lights were blinking from the windows. Laughter could be heard from inside, indicating a busy, but profitable evening for the inn keepers.

Natsume slouched lower into his chair; a mug of Scotch in hand to drown out the din. But still, alcohol was not nearly enough to smooth his bad temper. He had been sorely humiliated that day, and retribution had not yet been paid.

She was clothed in heat the moment she stepped through the double doors. With flames blaring in the fireplace to her far right, the inn was as homely on the inside as it was on the outside. The place was jam packed with guests, though it was quite easy to divide them into two groups. Near the bar tender, towards the left, were the rugged, slightly drunk, townsmen. Laughing and gambling and making merry, it was obvious they were regulars, likewise on the opposite side of the inn. Only difference was that these individuals weren't quite so rugged. They seemed to be of the upper class, dressed in finery and riches. Though, Mikan may have been wrong. They seemed to be more like fisher folk, given the way they were acting. Of course, that could just be the alcohol taking its toll.

They were acting like a pack of buffoons. Were they not gentry charged with his well being? So, why on Cheshire's Grin would they act in such a sloppy manner? Disgusting. True they were fisher folk, but they were upper class fisher folk! So, obviously they should have been portraying a dignified and noble outlook. But for some nonsensical reason his crew men did not seem aware of this fact. And. Someone. Kept. Poking. Him. In. The. Ribs.

Mikan noticed him sitting in an arm chair. Frown on his face and Scotch in his hand, he ignored his surroundings with a certain air of haughtiness. Perfect. A relieved smile gracing her face, Mikan strolled over to the red eyed boy.

Tiny frame? Check. Long brown hair? Check. Brown eyes? Check.

Well would you look at that, Natsume thought, the big man upstairs must really like me. And I still remember my speech! Frown twisting into a scowl Natsume looked down at the girl crouching beside him. It was finally judgment time.

"You wench! If you honestly think that you have the right to -"

"I'm sorry!"

"-defy me, one who is obviously superior- wait! What?"

Natsume was bewildered. Mikan was now kneeling on the ground before him, arms stretched out towards his feet, apologizing. Mikan was bowing before him apologizing. Mikan was apologizing! Why was Mikan apologizing? What about his speech?

"I really shouldn't have blown up like I did. You only had good intentions. And I responded by giving you a black eye. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You don't know how bad I feel right now!"

The girl was beginning to cause a scene. The other guests in the inn were staring straight at her and the boy she bowed before. They were apparently finding great enjoyment in the boys' discomfort. The same could be said for the bright haired woman sitting in a corner table. Watching the proceedings an amused smirk began to play on her lips. The woman knew things were sure to get interesting quite soon.

"I really don't like violence and usually never resort to it but sometimes I just can't keep my temper down. And I know that's not a good reason and it seems like I'm just making excuses but I truly am sorry! And I really do hope you'll forgive me, though I really do doubt that. You don't seem much like the merciful type, more vengeful you are. But that's not the point! The point is-"

"Shut up already!"

Natsume's bellow did just the trick in making Mikan go silent. The girl abruptly snapped her head up to look at the boy with a slightly tearful gaze. His eyes slightly softened for a moment at the sight, before being replaced by a mischievous and cruel twinkle. Natsume smirked.

" Two months."

"Huh?"

"As retribution for causing physical harm to me, Natsume Ahsman, you will be sentenced to being my personal servant for two months."

"What? Why do I have to do that! Shouldn't money be sufficient enough?"

"You still don't seem to quite understand li-wench." Natsume inwardly winced at the slip up; he did not want another black eye.

"I am Natsume Ahsman, 4th prince of the Glorious Kingdom of Alice, one who is a Cloud in the Sky. And under National Law, striking one of the Clouds in the Sky is considered treason and can be penalized by death."

Mikan's eyes widened in horror at this little fact. Shit.

"But, contrary to your beliefs, I am a merciful being. And in this case, my mercy is, that instead of the gallows you will merely have to answer to my needs for the next two months. A kind enough offer, I do presume?"

Mikan contemplated the agreement in her head. Going over the pros and the cons she could only reach one favourable solution.

"Well, I'm not feeling very welcome towards Father Death at the moment so I guess being a servant for a couple months shouldn't be too bad. Plus it's not like I have anything better to do with my time anyways."

Natsume narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had not expected the wench to accept the offer so readily. She seemed much too lax about the whole ordeal. Why?

"But I do have one question."

The red eyed prince tensed. Eyes forming a piercing glare, he prepared for his suspicions to be proven true.

"Since I'm to be your servant for the next two months and all, can I imagine free housing will be included in the deal?"

Tch. Easier for him.


End file.
